Tape package having controlled unwinding



July 17, 1962 H. F. HANSCOM 3,044,614

TAPE PACKAGE HAVING CONTROLLED UNWINDING Filed March 7, 1961 INVEN TOR.

HARRiS F. HANSCOM ATTORNEYS tires are Island I 7 Filed Mar. 7, 1961,Ser. No. 93,945 1 Ciaini. (Ci. 2136-59) This invention relates to a tapereel or package of wound layers of tape and has for its object theprovision of an improved method of making a tape reel.

Tapes which may take a variety of forms may be composed of a materialwhich has little surface adhesion. For contrast purposes, if one were toconsider a cotton fiber tape, it will be apparent that there are severalfibers projecting therefrom which interlock so that juxtaposed tapeconvolutions would cling together and thus present some naturalresistance to unwinding. On the other hand, tapes made from artificialfibers and paper oifer but little adhesion at the surface to adjacenttape convolutions. Also if the tape is a paper tape with a reinforcingwire sandwiched between two layers, the reinforcing wire will have acertain resiliency and permanent set which will tend to open up theconvolutions. Consequently, when it is desired to dispense tape fromsuch a reel wound with the aforementioned materials, the reel will tendto spin after a demand for the tape has been abruptly stoppedand willcause spilling, unwinding, tangling and similar results which interferewith subsequent dispensing operations. Generally to cope with thisproblem the reel ends have been made of a size much larger than thediameter of a completely wound core so that at least spilling ofi theend of the reel is prevented when dealing with a full package. Inaddition, certain frictional drags have been placed on the reel toprevent overrunning thereof and, as will be appreciated, all of theabove and other efforts that have been made may generally be said tonecessitate special adaptations in order to properly dispense tape. Itwill be further apparent that by utilizing a large reel end, the size ofa finished reel is greater than it need be. This gives rise to storageproblems where cubage is always at a premium.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a tapereel package which will unwind under controlled restraint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for winding tapepackages in order to produce the controlled restrained unwinding.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a tape package inwhich the surface of the tape has been spot coated with an adhesive.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating generally the method ofwinding tape on a reel to secure the desired result of controlledunwinding;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a completed reel illustrating theadhesively spotted tape; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a tape reel not treated in accordancewith this invention showing the undesirable result.

In proceeding with this invention, a tape is employed which may have anyof the aforementioned slippery characteristics, and I wind this tape ona reel core by utilizing repeated traverses of the tape from one end ofthe core to the other and coat the tape as it is applied to the reelwith an adhesive material which preferably has the property of quickdrying. In this winding process the presence of the adhesive will causethe juxtaposed layers to adhere one to the other. siderable latitude inthe area of adhesion, but it has been found that by utilizing spotapplications of adhesive spaced lineally so as to be present at eachsuccessive or up to each fifthsuccessive convolution, satisfactoryresults will be obtained. Such adhesive applications provide aresistance to the unwinding pull of a slight degree and yet permitsubstantially free unwinding under normal unwinding tensions.

Referring now to the drawings, the tape reel usually comprises a hollowcylindrical core 11 made of any suitable material which has diskshapedends aflixed thereto so as to form spool ends. It is sometimespreferred to wind the tape material on the core 11 before the ends 12are applied, and in accordance with standard practice tape 14 is woundon the core by employing a traverse mechanism so that the tape will lieadjacent to a previously wound circumference from one side of the coreto the other. I

In accordance with the general concept of this invention, adhesive spotssuch as 15 are applied to the face of the tape 14, and these adhesiveportions may be spaced any suitable distance one from the other.Basically, the adhesive may take a variety of forms. For instance, itmay be a water soluble type such as a water and animal glue or anemulsion type such as an emulsion of polyvinylchloride acetate or anemulsion of polyvinyl acetate or of a hot melt type or of a solventtype. The main constituents or physical properties whichthe adhesiveshould have to be successful is that when hardened, it be somewhatbrittle and that after application it dry extremely fast to a tackysurface.

To accomplish such spooling as generally defined above may be practicedin accordance with the schematic representation as in FIGURE 1. Here thecore 11 is mounted on a core holder 20 which is in turn slidably mountedon an arbor 21. The core holder 20 is attached to a traversing mechanismnot shown which has an actuating bar 22. extending therefrom and an arm23 extending into engagement with the mounting device 20. In thisfashion the device 20 is reciprocated on the arbor 21 in accordance witha predetermined and timed pattern. Drive engagement'between the coremounter 20 and the arbor 21 is had via akeyway 24, and actual rotarymotion is imparted through this arbor by a chain drive such as 25 comingfrom a source of power generally indicated at 27 and including a gearreduction unit such as 28 having a sprocket gear 29 afiixed thereto forengagement with the chain 25.

The tape 14 is led over suitable guide means into a guide trough 30which is fixedly mounted for rocking action on an axis parallel to thearbor 21. This trough merely serves as a guide for the tape and hasaffixed on the ends thereof two rollers 31 to maintain the end of thetrough spaced from the actual surface of the spool as it is being wound.Before the tape reaches the guide means 30, it passes through anadhesive applying station that is generally indicated 35. This stationconsists of a F I l 1% 3,044,614,

There is of course a constar wheel 36 rotated through suitablemechanical drive I arrangement 37 from the gear reduction unit 28. Thestar wheel 36 is mounted in proximity and over a supply of adhesive suchas in a container 38. The supply level in the container 38 is such thatthe tip of the star wheel will pick up a small quantity of adhesive, andthe tape is guided at a level relative to the tip of the star wheel 36so that contact is made as at a point 3 9, the tape being prevented frommoving upward by a guide means such as 40. In this fashionas each tip ofthe star wheel engages the tape, a spot of adhesive will be applied tothe surface of the tape which will remain exposed on the spool. It willbe apparent that the speed of the star wheel 36 may be varied withinlimits and thus control the frequency with which the adhesive is appliedto the surface of the tape. As the tape is wound on the spool, therollers 31 on the guide 30 maintain the guide spaced from the previouslayers that have been wound with adhesive thereon and prevent thefurther spreading of the adhesive beyond the spot application. Shouldperchance some-adhesive be picked up on the rollers 31, this will not bedetrimental as it will he in spot formation rather than in a continuousapplication.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that many desirable resultsflow. As illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, a package not treatedin accordance with this invention results in tangling of tapeconvolutions as the tape sloughs from the package. This is particularlytrue when awire reinforced tape is wound, the wire having a naturaltendency to return to straight form and unwind as in a spiral. A treatedtape package may, however, be wound with more tension to create atighter or denser package and thus for a given diameter more tape lengthmay be contained. Further, the spool ends need 'be only equal to thetape package diameter as sloughing is completely prevented, the enlargedspool ends being previously used to contain the tape within the boundsof the reel core on unwinding.

I claim:

A tape package comprising a core, a two-faced tape wound thereon in aplurality of layers with one layer superimposed on another radiallyoutwardly of the core, each layer having the tape thereof helicallydisposed at a substantially uniform pitch from one end of the package tothe other, the tape of one layer being breakably adhered to the tape ofthe next layer at a plurality of spaced spot locations throughout thelength of the tape, whereby the layers of tape are breakably securedtogether and are retarded from sloughing off the package.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSBodwell June 2, 1925 2,187,386 Strocco et al. Jan. 16, 1940 2,542,882Shu-mway Feb. 20, 1951

